STOCKTON - Camera crews for one of the nation's longest-running television shows will spend the next several weeks documenting the Stockton Police Department's daily efforts to fight crime.

"Cops," which has aired on Fox since 1989, is taping in Stockton for episodes that will air this fall on Spike, said Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Police Department.

A producer and a pair of two-man crews rode along with Community Response Team and patrol officers each of the past two days. Silva said the television show will highlight officers' work in the community and could help the department recruit people to the police force.

"The TV show 'Cops' is in Stockton, and crews will be riding with our officers for the next several weeks," Silva said. "Having 'Cops' filming here is not only good for department morale, as it promotes our officers and their hard work, but it is also a very good recruiting tool, as we are currently hiring."

Cops.com and the show's official Twitter feed have already begun promoting the Stockton Police Department, posting links to a recruiting page for the department. The show is also promoting its presence in Stockton, posting links to pictures from its ride-alongs with officers.

On Wednesday, one of the camera crews accompanied police to the scene of a shooting that occurred about 4:50 p.m. on Cotton Court, where a 24-year-old man suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg, authorities said. A little while later, a "Cops" producer tweeted a picture of an overturned car after a stolen vehicle pursuit ended with a rollover accident near Grizzly Hollow Way and Quail Lakes Drive.

According to its website, "Cops" has followed law enforcement agencies in more than 140 U.S. cities. The show began its 25th and final season on Fox on Dec. 15 and aired its 850th episode in February.